RS

FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

Sabotage, and Where We go From Here

Throughout the past few weeks, we witnessed the train wreck of the stupid party colliding with the evil party. The stupid party made sure to tell the evil party that they just need to reject their offer and there will be a new watered-down iteration in a flash. Finally, it got so bad that they couldn’t even draw a line in the sand on delaying just the individual mandate, even at a time when most individuals can’t comply with it if they tried. The irony is that the President will undoubtedly delay it (illegally) himself after the battle is over, making fools of the Republicans.

But amidst all the focus on Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans, we cannot lose focus on Mitch McConnell and the GOP Conference in the Senate. McConnell and his henchmen sabotaged House Republicans at the two most critical points.

Headed into October 1, the House was the only body that had the ability to pass a funding bill. Republicans had enough votes to block Harry Reid from reinserting funding for Obamacare. Instead, McConnell and the gang acted in solidarity with fellow Senate Democrats instead of House Republicans. That dynamic was only accentuated as the showdown dragged on.

Aside for Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, nobody else paid more than lip service to fighting Obamacare. Worse, the overwhelming majority of Republicans in the Senate sabotaged the effort. One after another, they would go on TV and trash House Republicans and echo Harry Reid’s talking points. Reid and Obama just sat back and let Senate Republicans blow up their colleagues. Then in the eleventh hour, instead of at least demanding delay of the individual mandate (which McConnell touted months ago as the alternative to defund), McConnell gave Harry Reid everything he wanted.

House GOP leadership was never going to change, but there was a sense that we got as much unity out of the House conference as we will ever get for battles like this. Some House Republicans might be spineless, but the Senate Republicans are rotten to the core. We will never change the status quo in Washington unless we completely shake up the Senate Republicans. Anyone who thinks that by merely seeking 51 GOP senators next year we will suddenly obtain more leverage is mistaken. Harry Reid will still be the defacto leader unless we get rid of Mitch McConnell and as many of his backbenchers as possible.

It’s time to support Matt Bevin or go home. It’s time to continue plugging for all of the other challengers. In some states there are already multiple candidates. There are also some more impressive challengers that are set to announce soon.

We must also never give up the fight against Obamacare. This is not the farm bill or flood insurance. This will permanently crush the dignity and self-sufficiency of the middle class, destroy the entire healthcare system, and degrade the broader job market in every other field. This cannot stand. We must continue to fight the law at every turn and use every leverage point possible.

But ultimately, this is not just about Washington. The Constitution references three branches of “government.” I’m not referring to the executive, legislature, and judiciary. They have all become incorrigibly malignant. At this juncture, they are beyond repair. I am referring to the federal government, state government, and the individual. We must continue to fight this out in the states and with individuals.

Sadly, some states are completely hopeless until they collapse under their own failed policies. But there are a number of states where we can still protect from the relentless federal tyranny. Yet, in so many of these states, we are underutilizing our potential. We need to elect men and women with courage to state legislatures (a much easier goal than congressional elections) – people who are willing to reassert state powers as prescribed by the Tenth Amendment. We need to start in states like Texas and Oklahoma, and elect governing majorities who will just say no to Obamacare at every possible turn.

Moreover, state legislative elections are the front lines in the battle to restore our Republic through state-directed constitutional amendments, as recommended by Mark Levin. I know some people are skeptical of Article V conventions, but we have no choice. We have hit rock bottom. If the Obamacare tragedy doesn’t expose the failure of our current strategy nothing will change the inevitable march to full tyranny. There is no better long-term solution.

Finally, there is the individual. Our Republic was founded upon the inviolate guarantee of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To that end, the federal government was limited to enumerated powers, which were intended to preserve liberty, not infringe upon it. The Tenth Amendment states that all “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” It goes without saying that the basic right to live with dignity and self-reliance is reserved to the people.

Yet, we have incurred a bloodless revolution over the past century, culminating with the Obamacare court decision, which has empowered the federal government with the ability to tax or regulate all activity or inactivity. Most Americans will no longer have the ability to raise a family with dignity and freedom. We have allowed the federal government, and in some cases, state governments, to limit our liberty and property rights for years. Obamacare must be the Waterloo in the battle to preserve individual liberty. As individuals, it’s time to say NO.